The invention pertains to a method for operating a merchandise presentation arrangement that features a lifting device with a lifting bottom for depositing merchandise in stack layers that are arranged on top of one another, as well as a lifting cushion arrangement that carries the lifting bottom and comprises one or more lifting cushions that are arranged on top of one another and can be individually filled with a compressed fluid, particularly compressed air, wherein the lifting cushions can be expanded up to a functional height limited by a lift limiting device by supplying compressed fluid and used in succession if several lifting cushions are provided, wherein each lifting cushion is assigned a separate control valve that controls the supply of compressed fluid to the respective lifting cushion, as well as a separate pressure sensor that measures the fluid pressure in the respective lifting cushion, and wherein a control unit is provided that is connected to the at least one pressure sensor and switches the control valves.
A merchandise presentation arrangement with the aforementioned characteristics is described in DE 20 2007 011 680 U1. This merchandise presentation arrangement makes it possible to respectively raise the lifting bottom in succession by the functional height of one lifting cushion such that the merchandise situated in the respective top stack layer can be easily removed. The expansion of the individual lifting cushions is respectively initiated by an operator.
Furthermore, DE 10 2004 048 428 A1 discloses a container with a lifting bottom that is raised by means of a lifting cushion arrangement. In this case, the lifting cushion arrangement consists of a single lifting cushion that is acted upon with compressed air by means of a pump with an assigned switching device. The switching device can be selectively actuated manually or by a sensor that measures the filling level in the container.
EP 1 285 867 A2 describes a container with a lifting bottom that can be raised by means of a scissor jack arrangement with assigned drive. In this case, a sensor device that measures the filling level in the container and is realized in the form of, for example, a light barrier or a capacitive or inductive sensor device is provided in order to control the drive and therefore to readjust the lifting bottom. The filling weight of the merchandise could also be determined as a command variable for the readjustment of the lifting bottom in this case.
In addition, DE 199 48 940 A1 discloses a container with a lifting bottom that rests on springs distributed over its surface, wherein these springs raise the lifting bottom when the load acting thereupon is relieved.
Based on the merchandise presentation arrangement according to DE 20 2007 011 680 U1, the present invention aims to develop a method of the initially cited type that is carried out automatically after an initial activation such that the individual lifting cushions are automatically expanded in succession, and the lifting bottom is incrementally raised without any initiation by an operator once the stack height has decreased by a certain amount.